iNKFISH Capital announce 100 new Supported Living Homes in London

Supported housing specialists iNKFISH today announced the launch of their new project “London iNK” where they intend to create 100 new homes to support some of the most vulnerable people across London.

Co-founder of iNKFISH Louis Stedman-Bryce said “During the COVID-19 pandemic, for many of us our homes have become both our sanctuary and our prison. It’s difficult to understand exactly how hard this experience has been for people who do not have a home. A situation that becomes even more challenging for someone living with a disability. Supported Living is designed to help people with complex needs which includes autism, a learning disability or a mental health condition, take more control over their lives. London accounts for just 3.1% of this type of accommodation in England, so we have some catching up to do. Our aim through project “London iNK” is to deliver an additional 100 homes in 2021.”

A report published by the charity Mencap predicted that 15,000 additional supported living homes will be required by 2028. The same report also highlights that the South East of England accounted for 10.5% of provision for specialist supported housing, with London accounting for just 3.1% of this. In the North West the figure is 25.4%.

The provision of care services outside hospitals or specialist care units, wherever feasible, can offer obvious benefits, which can include significant cost savings for commissioners and better outcomes for health and wellbeing. With the onset of the global pandemic some of the more traditional residential care models struggled to cope resulting in a high number of COVID-19 related deaths for residents and frontline staff. By contrast Supported Living has proven to be one of the most resilient residential care models throughout the pandemic. This is due to the nature of this type of housing, providing accommodation with support to individuals or small groups of people, living in a typical home within the community, so the risk of transmission is significantly reduced.

Project web page: www.inkfishcapital.co.uk/london